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What Does Mot Cost And How Often Must It Be Done?


junebug1701
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If I understand correctly an MOT is a vehicle inspection mandated by the government's Ministry of Transport. How often must you have it done, and what does it cost? What all do they inspect/test?

Here in the US, each state conducts vehicle inspections to varying degrees. In Louisiana, the vehicle inspection is yearly, and used to be a simple check of safety features such as lights, wipers, brakes, horn, and so forth. Eventually they added emissions tests. These days any car made after the 1996 model year has it's OBD port connected to a computer and a bad sensor or trouble code can cause the vehicle to fail the test. The cost is $18 (around 12 quid) and they affix a tamper-proof sticker to the inside of the windscreen. You have to show your driver's license, registration papers, and proof of valid liability insurance. A few years back some idiots were selling counterfeit stickers for 5 bucks to morons who's crappy cars couldn't pass inspection. They looked real from a distance, but they were being printed on inkjet printers and couldn't get the fonts quite right.

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The MOT (Ministry of Transport) test is done on the cars third birthday, and then every 12 months thereafter.

THE MOT TEST

The MOT frequency does change depending on the vehicle usage (some vehicles dont get away with waiting 3 years for a first MOT)

Once upon a time, MOT test certificates were stolen from garages and sold on the black market so that cra*py cars could get taxed and stay on the road, but that has changed with computerisation, the Police now know if your car is taxed, insured, MOT'd before they even pull you over :lol:

Click the link above, it will tell you all you need to know

Kingo :thumbsup:

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Blimey £53 for a regular family car :eek:

It is nearly 10 years since I had to take a car for a MOT test and I am so out of touch with the costs involved :huh:

On a serious note, I think our test system is a worthy one as it tends to keep the rubbish off the roads.... of course that does not mean a great deal to the villains and scum that run around in many mobile scrap wagons :angry:

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Wow, 75 bucks for an inspection! I guess we shouldn't complain about paying 18. At least you don't have to worry with it until the car is 3 years old. I wish they would do that here--I doubt many cars under 3 fail inspection save for a burned out bulb now and then. I would say most of the inspection stations here skip a lot of stuff. I don't recall them ever checking steering and suspension, seats, seat belts, headlight aiming, or proper horn type. If your horn emits something audible, and the lights emit a photon or two, you pass. BTW, the inspection stations here are government licensed local shops, not government run. In some states they are run by the local or state government.

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. If your horn emits something audible, .................., you pass.

I always thought that was the case here - it certainly used to be.

Used to know a lad who had a toy dinosaur fastened to the front of his motorbike. It squeeked when he squeezed it - and this passed the MOT as a horn !

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Well my supra failed its MOT because my white LED side lights were "not white enough" anda disagreement on my rear foglight. Dispite passing at the same garage previously on numerous occasions.

That was the final straw when I decided I had fed up of anything that is not exact factory spec and gave up modified cars lol. Don;t give the little jobsworths a chance to pick up on anything.

Needless to say that garage has now lost our family's custom, after about 30 years and a 13+ cars

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All an MOT test tells you is that for 2 hours on a certain day of the year a vehicle passed a set of tests.

It does not tell you that the exhaust could fall off within 30 minutes of the test or guarantee the state of any of the components after it leaves the testing bay. Some car adverts will state long MOT as a big selling point, IMHO it just tells you how long it is until you have to pay for another test. If you do not check items such as tyres, brakes and fluids more often than every 12 months then you do not value your safety (or that of your passengers) very much.

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All an MOT test tells you is that for 2 hours on a certain day of the year a vehicle passed a set of tests.

The MOT test takes 2 hours?? Over here, a vehicle inspection takes about 20 minutes, maybe less on a newer car.

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All an MOT test tells you is that for 2 hours on a certain day of the year a vehicle passed a set of tests.

The MOT test takes 2 hours?? Over here, a vehicle inspection takes about 20 minutes, maybe less on a newer car.

No not 2 hours, should be just under an hour

There are talks of the MOT going to every 3 years. Bad move in my opinion, at least the real dodgy cars get binned when required, imagine some spotty oik not requiring an MOT for 3 years? it will be a shed by the time its ready for the next one

Kingo :thumbsup:

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All an MOT test tells you is that for 2 hours on a certain day of the year a vehicle passed a set of tests.

It does not tell you that the exhaust could fall off within 30 minutes of the test or guarantee the state of any of the components after it leaves the testing bay.

Isn't that what the 'advisory' section is for?

If a tester lets a car go out that has an imminent fault that he knows about but doesn't tell you then find another tester - there's plenty of decent ones out there !

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the Police now know if your car is taxed, insured, MOT'd before they even pull you over :lol:

The police know if the car which the reg plate that is on your car is registered to is taxed, insured & MOT'd

If someone duplicates the plate of a similar car that is completely legit, the plate recognition technology wont help. Certainly makes it easier to spot most cars on the road when they shouldn't be though

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Well my supra failed its MOT because my white LED side lights were "not white enough" anda disagreement on my rear foglight.

Mine passed with blue (ish) LED sidelights and white neons on the front!

Yes, MOT takes about 50 mins.

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NCT = MOT here in Ireland costs Euro 50 a go every 2 years. I'm not sure how long the period of grace for a new car is.

The testing Stations are not garages, but specially appointed , by the Dept of Transport, specialist Depots.The tests are very thorough, from seat belts & emissions to brakes, alignment & body condition etc. I failed (or my car did :lol: ) because of a bit of rust on both sills near the rear wheels. I had to get them welded & return with it unpainted for a visual. Unpainted, because they didn't want filler. No extra charge for a visual.

I have heard (urban myth?) of people being failed because of unapproved number plates & condensation inside the Headlight lenses :blink:

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I have heard (urban myth?) of people being failed because of unapproved number plates & condensation inside the Headlight lenses :blink:

Not an Urban myth in the UK, it is fact!

There is to be a crackdown on number plates this year, by MOT stations, Police and VOSA. I had a visit last November by DVLA to make sure our plates were the current spec. No problems this end, but anything with badges, stickers, football clubs or similar on their plates will fail!

Kingo :thumbsup:

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I have heard (urban myth?) of people being failed because of unapproved number plates & condensation inside the Headlight lenses :blink:

Not an Urban myth in the UK, it is fact!

There is to be a crackdown on number plates this year, by MOT stations, Police and VOSA. I had a visit last November by DVLA to make sure our plates were the current spec. No problems this end, but anything with badges, stickers, football clubs or similar on their plates will fail!

Kingo :thumbsup:

Yep on the number plates......

Failed an MOT because of this one

taillights012.jpg

Had to get this to pass.

ExUK012.jpg

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A tad harsh Les, but that is exactly how the DVLA guy described it to me. In your case it is incorrect spacing, but it could be a logo or similar non-compliant names, badges, lettering etc will all fail.

Kingo :thumbsup:

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I had an MOT man comment that my number plate was illegally spaced....

Its just a private plate.

Idiot :lol:

Same garage as above too....

He did however go on to say that the number plate is only part on the MOT in terms of condition and legibility, spacing, font etc is down to the traffic police.

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Not an Urban myth in the UK, it is fact!

There is to be a crackdown on number plates this year, by MOT stations, Police and VOSA. I had a visit last November by DVLA to make sure our plates were the current spec. No problems this end, but anything with badges, stickers, football clubs or similar on their plates will fail!

Kingo :thumbsup:

The police have been clamping down for ages now. I had badges, different font, wording, the lot on my old plate. I had it on the Yaris for well over a year & had no problems even when I was driving directly in front of police cars for miles but when I got the Golf just over 2 years ago they'd started clamping down on it so instead of getting another set made up I got some legit ones to avoid the hassle

I had an MOT man comment that my number plate was illegally spaced....

Its just a private plate.

Idiot :lol:

Same garage as above too....

He did however go on to say that the number plate is only part on the MOT in terms of condition and legibility, spacing, font etc is down to the traffic police.

I thought the way you had yours was always technically illegal anyway :ermm:

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I thought the way you had yours was always technically illegal anyway :ermm:

In what way? All spacing is 100% legal. It would have been originally issued before the Prefix/Suffix system was initiated.

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